Plasma Lighting Growth Shots

jestersix · 04/01/2011, 01:46 PM

I am currently running two Stray Light Optical Seashine plasmas on my 150G tank. New build started in May of 2010, with a transfer of frags and rock from my previous 30G cube. In addition to the plasmas, I have a 48 inch ReefBrite strip in blue for my early AM/Late PM lighting. Lights are on a DA Reefkeeper Lite with an ALC module for the dimming cycle...

Some growth shot comparison, some of the pieces have been moved and the different shots are from different angles, but I wanted to try and show how things are progressing under the plasmas.

Hawkins first is from 5/27 second from 10/29, last is from yesterday

Another look

Yellow Milli - first is from 5/27 second from 10/29 last from yesterday

A few more random shots, bad pics but hopefully they give an idea of the growth I am seeing under the Seashine plasmas.

Maxhtic · 04/01/2011, 03:21 PM

Hi mate,

Very nice tank. Do you have any pics from the top part of the aquarium where the plasma is located?

Thanks.

jestersix · 04/01/2011, 03:37 PM

Top down shot from upstairs with lights starting dim cycle

FTS

From the start

One more from the beginning

evsalty · 04/01/2011, 03:45 PM

That looks like some really good growth.

goofball310 · 04/01/2011, 04:15 PM

The color combo of the Plasma's with the Reefbrite looks great. I was thinking about doing a DIY plasma project but after seeing one w/ 72w of blue led turned me away. Even with 24 royal blue LED's the color was still too yellow for my liking. Are you running the plasma's at 100%?

jestersix · 04/01/2011, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goofball310

The color combo of the Plasma's with the Reefbrite looks great. I was thinking about doing a DIY plasma project but after seeing one w/ 72w of blue led turned me away. Even with 24 royal blue LED's the color was still too yellow for my liking. Are you running the plasma's at 100%?

I normally ramp the lights up to 100% during the day. I am not a big blue fan, I actually prefer the high natural color rendition of the plasmas - one of the main reasons I went with these lights. I know there is some variation in the actual bulbs, one of my original Beta units had a much more "blue" tone than the other at 100%. The new fixtures are almost perfectly paired and seem to offer a bit more of a "crisp" white. At 75% the lights appear similar to a good 14K MH IMO, and it certainly has plenty of PAR at that level.

I have operated the system for a couple of stretches with the lights only ramping to 75% and 50% respectively, both times for a period of two weeks. In both cases everything was just fine - I cannot say what the long term effect would be but would guess that I would see a bit different color from most of the corals and for sure a reduction in the growth.

My lights are 16 inches over the tank and the tank is 20 inches tall.

Stanley-Reefer · 04/01/2011, 07:29 PM

Life span on those bulbls?

Good results!

goofball310 · 04/01/2011, 07:53 PM

10 years

CyclistMT · 04/01/2011, 08:50 PM

Thanks for the info and pics Jester. Plasmas are on my short list for lights for my next tank and I've tried to find any real world usage info I can. There's not much out there and you're about the only user that keeps posting about their experience (I've probably read all your threads about them on various forums

)

I have a question though. Some of these photos have color rendition I find acceptable and pleasing. Certainly the Hawkins but also the bird's nests and favia pictures. Did you have the Reefbrite strip on in those pictures? Do you find the one strip to be suffcient to give that little extra "pop" to colors?

jestersix · 04/01/2011, 09:19 PM

In almost all of the pics I have the Reefbrites on (easy programming). In the pictures you mentioned the lights are at 75%. Almost everyone that sees the lights in person is surprised at the color rendition - especially from about 85% down. Plenty of PAR at those levels.

Let me know if I can answer any more questions.

A Reef Scene · 04/02/2011, 12:37 PM

That is a great light system. Do you still need a chiller to cool the water?

jestersix · 04/04/2011, 01:43 PM

No chiller. During the summer I run a small fan under the stand to keep the air moving over my sump. I do run at a bit higher than average temps, tank stays around 82 degrees (which is where I have heaters set). From the startup, the lights raise the daily temp about 1.5 degrees with no fans. If I wanted to keep temps in the 70s range a chiller would be required.

tkeracer619 · 04/04/2011, 04:07 PM

Can you get your hands on a par meter and do some real world testing at different power levels? Nice setup!

goofball310 · 04/04/2011, 05:00 PM

PAR readings under plasma can be found here:

http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?...sma-Experiment

goofball310 · 04/04/2011, 05:02 PM

Also, another great thread using plasma:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1854516

jestersix · 04/05/2011, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Can you get your hands on a par meter and do some real world testing at different power levels? Nice setup!

Sorry these are a bit hard to read...

50%

100%

tkeracer619 · 04/05/2011, 04:58 PM

How many watts is that?

Does running the units at half power cause damage to the bulbs or shorten their usable life?

jestersix · 04/05/2011, 08:51 PM

Units at 100% are 290 watts each. Reduced output actually extends the life of the bulb.

Acrotrdco · 04/06/2011, 12:45 AM

I thought plasma bulbs last for 30k hours already?

evsalty · 04/06/2011, 10:16 AM

Those par numbers at 100% seem around the same as good 250w halide setups. Since the wattage is also similar it seems that the majority of operational cost savings will be from lack of bulb replacement. But how much is the up front cost of these lights? And how much of the on time is spent below 100%?

jestersix · 04/06/2011, 11:28 AM

I have never seen a 250 W MH with the same numbers I have from my lights - at 18 inches above the water line, they are much closer to 400W MH IMHO. If you look, most folks would run three 250W on a six foot tank, I'm running 2 plasmas. A Geisemann fixture would easily run more than the cost of two plasmas (granted Giesemanns are premium fixtures - they were the MH/T5 combo choice of my lighting options)

Saying the plasma bulbs last 5 years (seems reasonable - after 12 months I have seen zero drop in PAR) - figure the T5/MH replacement cost and it does save money.

Of course, I didn't go with plasmas because of any perceived cost savings - I did consider that but color rendition was my primary focus. I am thrilled with the growth I get and versatility of these fixtures - but lighting is very much a personal opinion issue.
I am not a big fan of really blues tanks, but they aren't "better" or "worse" than what I choose, just like the choices between LED/MH/T5 and now plasmas. Main reason for tossing this thread up is that my tank is one of the longer running setups with plasmas...this way folks can see what plasmas can do.

evsalty · 04/06/2011, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jestersix

I have never seen a 250 W MH with the same numbers I have from my lights - at 18 inches above the water line, they are much closer to 400W MH IMHO. If you look, most folks would run three 250W on a six foot tank, I'm running 2 plasmas. A Geisemann fixture would easily run more than the cost of two plasmas (granted Giesemanns are premium fixtures - they were the MH/T5 combo choice of my lighting options)

Saying the plasma bulbs last 5 years (seems reasonable - after 12 months I have seen zero drop in PAR) - figure the T5/MH replacement cost and it does save money.

Of course, I didn't go with plasmas because of any perceived cost savings - I did consider that but color rendition was my primary focus. I am thrilled with the growth I get and versatility of these fixtures - but lighting is very much a personal opinion issue.
I am not a big fan of really blues tanks, but they aren't "better" or "worse" than what I choose, just like the choices between LED/MH/T5 and now plasmas. Main reason for tossing this thread up is that my tank is one of the longer running setups with plasmas...this way folks can see what plasmas can do.

Look at Melev's par testing page and you will see that his 250w 12k Reeflux's @18" above the water inside Lumen somethings has 800 at top 500 at 6" and 190-200 at 24" using an ice cap ballast.

When using three 250's over a 6' tank you get similar par all the way across the tank yet yours drops as you go outwards since your lights are mounted towards the center. Obviously this is very good spread at that height. The increase in the center is caused by overlap so you have to take that into consideration. I am not trying to be negative, I am just trying to compair one to the other since plasmas are a new technology that is aimed at replacing halides.

As for the cost statement about Guissmenns that is just a bad example IMHO as those things are almost 2x what most other lights cost.

jestersix · 04/06/2011, 01:07 PM

Thanks for the link to the PAR readings, I've not seend those kind of numbers in my experience - good to see how to get them from MHs, nice way to set that up.

Sorry you didn't understand my statement about the Geisemanns - if you read my comment, I stated that was what I was considering. In no way did I offer them as a "typical" or "economical" - rather Geisemanns were what what I was looking at in comparison to plasmas for my build. My other option was Aqua Iluminations LEDS, so they were a premium fixture as well.

Acrotrdco · 04/06/2011, 08:15 PM

How do you think Plasma technology would compare to LED technology?

In terms of:

- Upfront costs
- Luminous output / energy efficiency (lumen/watt)
- Lifespan
- Color
- Heat
- Others (e.g. potential risks, such as Plasma runs very hot, even hotter than MH, and could fry anything that come close to it)
etc.

jestersix · 04/07/2011, 12:25 PM

Costs - depends on your LED choice but I think you could do LED cheaper
Lumen per watt - I would give the edge to plasma, by a slight bit
Lifespan - about the same, ut much easier/cheaper to replace plasma
Color - depends on what you like, plasma is very close to sunlight at 100%
Heat - LEDs are probably a bit cooler
Others - no biggies, I've had better luck with plasmas than I did with LEDs as far as growth...I have a Reefbrite stip on the tank and love it. I love my plasmas more....

04/01/2011, 01:46 PM	#1
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	Plasma Lighting Growth Shots I am currently running two Stray Light Optical Seashine plasmas on my 150G tank. New build started in May of 2010, with a transfer of frags and rock from my previous 30G cube. In addition to the plasmas, I have a 48 inch ReefBrite strip in blue for my early AM/Late PM lighting. Lights are on a DA Reefkeeper Lite with an ALC module for the dimming cycle... Some growth shot comparison, some of the pieces have been moved and the different shots are from different angles, but I wanted to try and show how things are progressing under the plasmas. Hawkins first is from 5/27 second from 10/29, last is from yesterday Another look Yellow Milli - first is from 5/27 second from 10/29 last from yesterday A few more random shots, bad pics but hopefully they give an idea of the growth I am seeing under the Seashine plasmas.

04/04/2011, 04:07 PM	#13
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	Can you get your hands on a par meter and do some real world testing at different power levels? Nice setup! __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

04/05/2011, 04:58 PM	#17
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	How many watts is that? Does running the units at half power cause damage to the bulbs or shorten their usable life? __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

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04/01/2011, 03:21 PM	#2
Maxhtic Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cyprus Posts: 26	Hi mate, Very nice tank. Do you have any pics from the top part of the aquarium where the plasma is located? Thanks.

04/01/2011, 03:37 PM	#3
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	Top down shot from upstairs with lights starting dim cycle FTS From the start One more from the beginning

04/01/2011, 03:45 PM	#4
evsalty hmmmmmm Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NW Mesa, AZ Posts: 3,531	That looks like some really good growth.

04/01/2011, 04:15 PM	#5
goofball310 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 1,002	The color combo of the Plasma's with the Reefbrite looks great. I was thinking about doing a DIY plasma project but after seeing one w/ 72w of blue led turned me away. Even with 24 royal blue LED's the color was still too yellow for my liking. Are you running the plasma's at 100%?

04/01/2011, 07:29 PM	#7
Stanley-Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stanley, NC Posts: 1,933	Life span on those bulbls? Good results!

04/01/2011, 07:53 PM	#8
goofball310 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 1,002	10 years

04/01/2011, 08:50 PM	#9
CyclistMT More Idiot Than Savant Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Billings, MT Posts: 560	Thanks for the info and pics Jester. Plasmas are on my short list for lights for my next tank and I've tried to find any real world usage info I can. There's not much out there and you're about the only user that keeps posting about their experience (I've probably read all your threads about them on various forums ) I have a question though. Some of these photos have color rendition I find acceptable and pleasing. Certainly the Hawkins but also the bird's nests and favia pictures. Did you have the Reefbrite strip on in those pictures? Do you find the one strip to be suffcient to give that little extra "pop" to colors?

04/01/2011, 09:19 PM	#10
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	In almost all of the pics I have the Reefbrites on (easy programming). In the pictures you mentioned the lights are at 75%. Almost everyone that sees the lights in person is surprised at the color rendition - especially from about 85% down. Plenty of PAR at those levels. Let me know if I can answer any more questions.

04/02/2011, 12:37 PM	#11
A Reef Scene Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Montgomery, Illinois Posts: 1,465	That is a great light system. Do you still need a chiller to cool the water?

04/04/2011, 01:43 PM	#12
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	No chiller. During the summer I run a small fan under the stand to keep the air moving over my sump. I do run at a bit higher than average temps, tank stays around 82 degrees (which is where I have heaters set). From the startup, the lights raise the daily temp about 1.5 degrees with no fans. If I wanted to keep temps in the 70s range a chiller would be required.

04/04/2011, 05:00 PM	#14
goofball310 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 1,002	PAR readings under plasma can be found here: http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?...sma-Experiment

04/04/2011, 05:02 PM	#15
goofball310 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 1,002	Also, another great thread using plasma: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1854516

04/05/2011, 08:51 PM	#18
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	Units at 100% are 290 watts each. Reduced output actually extends the life of the bulb.

04/06/2011, 12:45 AM	#19
Acrotrdco Moved On Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 708	I thought plasma bulbs last for 30k hours already?

04/06/2011, 10:16 AM	#20
evsalty hmmmmmm Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NW Mesa, AZ Posts: 3,531	Those par numbers at 100% seem around the same as good 250w halide setups. Since the wattage is also similar it seems that the majority of operational cost savings will be from lack of bulb replacement. But how much is the up front cost of these lights? And how much of the on time is spent below 100%?

04/06/2011, 11:28 AM	#21
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	I have never seen a 250 W MH with the same numbers I have from my lights - at 18 inches above the water line, they are much closer to 400W MH IMHO. If you look, most folks would run three 250W on a six foot tank, I'm running 2 plasmas. A Geisemann fixture would easily run more than the cost of two plasmas (granted Giesemanns are premium fixtures - they were the MH/T5 combo choice of my lighting options) Saying the plasma bulbs last 5 years (seems reasonable - after 12 months I have seen zero drop in PAR) - figure the T5/MH replacement cost and it does save money. Of course, I didn't go with plasmas because of any perceived cost savings - I did consider that but color rendition was my primary focus. I am thrilled with the growth I get and versatility of these fixtures - but lighting is very much a personal opinion issue. I am not a big fan of really blues tanks, but they aren't "better" or "worse" than what I choose, just like the choices between LED/MH/T5 and now plasmas. Main reason for tossing this thread up is that my tank is one of the longer running setups with plasmas...this way folks can see what plasmas can do.

04/06/2011, 01:07 PM	#23
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	Thanks for the link to the PAR readings, I've not seend those kind of numbers in my experience - good to see how to get them from MHs, nice way to set that up. Sorry you didn't understand my statement about the Geisemanns - if you read my comment, I stated that was what I was considering. In no way did I offer them as a "typical" or "economical" - rather Geisemanns were what what I was looking at in comparison to plasmas for my build. My other option was Aqua Iluminations LEDS, so they were a premium fixture as well.

04/06/2011, 08:15 PM	#24
Acrotrdco Moved On Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 708	How do you think Plasma technology would compare to LED technology? In terms of: - Upfront costs - Luminous output / energy efficiency (lumen/watt) - Lifespan - Color - Heat - Others (e.g. potential risks, such as Plasma runs very hot, even hotter than MH, and could fry anything that come close to it) etc.

04/07/2011, 12:25 PM	#25
jestersix Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Visalia, CA Posts: 85	Costs - depends on your LED choice but I think you could do LED cheaper Lumen per watt - I would give the edge to plasma, by a slight bit Lifespan - about the same, ut much easier/cheaper to replace plasma Color - depends on what you like, plasma is very close to sunlight at 100% Heat - LEDs are probably a bit cooler Others - no biggies, I've had better luck with plasmas than I did with LEDs as far as growth...I have a Reefbrite stip on the tank and love it. I love my plasmas more....